New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Saturday took cognisance of the supplementary chargesheet against JNU student Sharjeel Imam in connection with a sedition case related to violent protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat took cognisance of the charges dealing with sedition, promoting enmity between different groups, imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration and public mischief of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Imam.
Earlier, the court had taken cognisance of chargesheet filed under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. After getting sanction from the concerned authorities, Delhi Police filed supplementary chargesheet under Section 124A/153A/153B/505 IPC.
Section 124A deals with sedition while Section 153 A is for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language. Section 153B is for imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration, and Section 505 is for public mischief.
“Perusal of the record reveals that the cognisance for commission of offence under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, in the present matter, was taken by predecessor vide order dated July 29, 2020 while the cognisance for commission of offence under Section 124A/153A/153B/505 IPC was deferred for want of requisite sanction under Section 196 CrPC,” the court said.
The requisite Sanction under Section 196 CrPC, in the form of supplementary chargesheet under Section 173(8) CrPC, has been filed.
“I have perused the supplementary chargesheet. In view of the same, I take cognisance for the commission of an offence under Section 124A/153A/153B/505 IPC,” the court said.
The court also directed to supply a copy of supplementary challan with a copy of e-challan to accused Imam.
Thereafter, the court put up the matter for scrutiny of documents on December 24.
Sharjeel Imam had got into the limelight for his viral video and was arrested in connection with a sedition case for his provocative speeches that had stoked controversy with his “cut off Assam from India” remark. He was arrested from Bihar’s Jehanabad in January.
A series of videos have gone viral on social media in which Sharjeel is heard saying: “If we all come together, then we can separate the Northeast from India. If we cannot do it permanently, then at least for one to two months, we can do this.”
“It is our responsibility to cut Assam from India. When this happens, only then the government will listen to us,” he is heard saying further in the video.
At least 53 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were injured in the violence which took place in February this year in the northeast area of the national capital between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.